Her Protector - A Fairy Tail Fan-Fiction
by dirtypi
Summary: Mariah LaCoi, the newest member of Fairy Tail, appears to be fairly normal. But she is more secretive than she may appear. Her ability to harness light magic in special ways has grabbed the attention of the "Government Agency". The Fairy Tail Guild, although providing her with protection, doesn't know anything about this girl or who is after her. Will they keep her for long?
1. Prologue

**_Prologue:_**

_I have always wondered many things;  
_

_Does everyone have their one true love?_

_Will I ever meet mine?_

_Is there a faster way to pass the time?  
_

_Am I supposed to live a life?_

_Am I only an experiment?_

_Am I worth nothing more?  
_

_I am as soft as a feather, floating through the night._

_Will I ever land?_

_Will I ever fall?  
_

_Will I ever be saved from this never-ending story?_

_Will I ever have a protector?_

_One to call my true love, my guardian.  
_

_Do I deserve to die?_

_How dangerous could I be?_

_Is this all a lie?_

_Or has Death taken me?  
_

_None of these questions have been answered. Will they ever be?_


	2. Chapter One - The Escape

**_Chapter One: The Escape_**

The sound of electricity filled my ears, causing me to flinch whenever it hit me. Men in lab coats were found at their control panels and only two guards were watching me as I hung from my chains.

_Relax, Mariah, as soon as they turn around, you can run. Be patient, _I thought.

"Why is this girl in here, again?" one of the guards groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The second guard rolled his eyes.

"Stop forgetting or you'll be outta here in no time flat," he replied, "she's able to harness her energy and-" As the men continued to talk, they slowly began turning away.

_Quick, now is your chance, run! _A spark of light broke my chains. I looked around, hoping no one noticed had me and I bolted up, shoving past the guards.

"Hey, get the girl, get the girl!" the first shouted, getting in the way of the second.

"Damn it, get outta my way!" I sprinted as another wave of energy sprouted from my fingertips as I exited the building.

"Don't stop," I shouted to myself, "don't stop!" I was lost. I didn't know where I was but I knew I had to keep running. The whole Agency would be chasing after me and I would be done for.

Minutes later, when I realized I was far from the Government Agency, I slowed down to a jog. I found a sign that said "WELCOME TO MAGNOLIA". I came to a complete stop, the rain slapping my face like a morning wake-up call.

_What is _Magnolia? Where _is it? _I wondered, horribly confused. I stood there for a few moments, thinking.

I screamed as a bolt of lightning split the tree I was hiding behind. Splinters scraped my cheeks as the tree burst into flame. As I turned, I tripped over one of the roots, twisting my ankle. Despite the pain, I continued to run.

Small drops of blood were rolling down my cheeks like tears as thunder filled my ears, the rain mixing with my blood. I felt like I was back at the Government Agency. As soon as I collapsed on the ground, I imagined the men bent over me, multiple wires attached to my body.

"Her heartbeat is stable, sir, shall we begin?" a buff man said.

"Have you taken a blood sample?" a booming voice echoed. I looked at his name tag. He went by the name of "Boris".

"No, sir, Boris, sir. When I tried that, she bit me, sir," a scrawny boy whispered, his hands shaking. I pitied the little boy. He looked much too young to be working for the Agency. I didn't want to snap at him, but I had no other choice.

"Why do I have to do everything myself?" Boris yelled, snapping his fingers. Two men pinned me down as another man, who was looking fairly angry, jammed a needle in my arm. I screamed as loud as I could before someone covered my mouth.

_Yes, _he _does everything _himself_, _I thought.

"So, Miss Mariah," Boris mumbled, grabbing the needle and staring into my blood. "How exactly do you harness your energy?"

"I-I don't know," I growled hoarsely, my throat parched.

As soon as Boris snapped his fingers again, a large shock rattled my body. I felt tears sliding down towards my chin.

"When I ask a question, Miss Mariah, I expect an answer. _How do you harness your energy?_" Boris spat, his face coming closer to mine.

"I told you, I don't know," I retorted.

"You don't have to lie to me, Miss Mariah; I know that you control your powers. It doesn't just "happen". Tell me and no one will be harmed."

"I don't have anyone left, you killed them all, thank you very much," I mumbled. I sighed, remembering my family. I had lost my little brother, Eric, shortly after the Agency had first contacted me. They had threatened me, but I didn't expect them to kill every last member of my family. My parents had gotten a divorce a year after Eric was born. My father, who had moved away to start another family, died in a car accident. Shortly after, my mother had committed suicide. She wanted to leave the family who cared for her and loved her. She had left her children for death. The Agency then killed my little sister before killing Eric. They only left me.

Another shock, this one stronger than the last, brought me back to reality, the men frowning down on me.

"You would be surprised who I could find, Miss Mariah. You would be surprised." I can't remember anything that happened after that. The next wave of electrical currents had knocked me unconscious and I never heard from the man again.

When I looked back up, all of the trees around me were engulfed in flames. My hair was covered in ashes, burns covered my arms, and splinters had dug into my forehead.

_You would be surprised who I could find. _ The voice rang in my head. I screamed and ran far away from the flaming trees. I only looked back once, and even then I was hallucinating. There was a beautiful young girl, dancing in between each of the trees. She amazed me and caught my attention. Her dress was on fire but she wasn't afraid. She was calm and relaxed. That's when I swore there was more than one person in those woods.

With my interest peaked, I crept back to the trees. It looked like a flaming warrior was dancing through the forest with the girl, as if it were a small competition for the patch of land. It reminded me of my past. I used to dance competitively, but it ended quickly when I sprained my ankle and never fully recovered.

The warriors quickly transformed back into flames, surrounding me. Odd voices filled my ears.

_We are here to protect you. You will know how to call when you truly need us._

I quickly ran to the nearest building, afraid that the hallucinations would get worse. The voices sounded just like my brother and sister. Maybe they even were. But I wasn't going to take any chances.

I didn't check to see if anyone was inside of the building or if it was an Agency Base. I ran inside, panting heavily while tears fell to the floor. I fell to my hands and knees as the world began to spin. My mind quickly returned to Boris. _You would be surprised who I could find._

"He'll... he'll get you too…" I moaned, trying to raise my head to observe my surroundings. I felt myself suddenly collapse. My vision went black as shouts of alarm filled the building.


	3. Chapter Two - The Guild

**_Chapter Two: The Guild_**

"Miss Lucy! Miss Lucy! I think our guest is awake!"

"Thank you Lyra for helping me pass the time."

"You're welcome Miss Lucy!"

That was all I heard. I couldn't see anything and my body was beginning to shake.

"Hey, it's alright," the girl, who was known to be "Miss Lucy", whispered. "I won't hurt you." She slowly removed a cloth that had been covering my eyes. I looked around. Flowers were lying on the bedside table and it was heavily pouring through the streets of Magnolia.

"Where am I?" I mumbled hoarsely.

"You're in a hospital room at Magnolia's finest hospital!" She placed her hands in her lap. She was sitting in a chair that was at the foot of my bed. "I am so rude! My name is Lucy. What is yours?"

"Mariah." I nodded towards Lucy and gave her a soft smile. She smiled back.

"Everyone in the Guild thinks you're a miracle, you know."

"Miracle? _Guild?_"

"Oh, pardon me! A few nights ago, you ran into the Fairy Tail Guild, my Guild!" She held out her hand to show her guild insignia. "You ran in, covered in flames, mumbling something about "him finding us"? I don't really understand what you said, but Natsu used his dragon-like abilities to keep the fire off of you and seal up a few of your wounds. He couldn't fix your ankle or snap you out of your coma so he helped me bring you here. You've been out for about a week," she added. After a moment of silence, I opened my mouth to speak. She smiled at me.

"You talk a lot," I whispered. I felt oddly shy as she frowned.

"I do not!" she shouted, standing abruptly. I flinched, shaking again. The sound of footsteps rang through the hall.

"Don't scare her," a pink-haired man grumbled, walking in the room. He had brought in some crutches and placed them at the side of my bed.

_He must be the man named "_Natsu_", _I thought.

"Sorry, Mariah," Lucy whispered.

"Hmm, Mariah. That is a lovely name," Natsu nodded, gently sitting me up. "Let's get you out of here so you can meet the Guild. I would hope you know how to use magic or you might get kicked out." I gulped as he chuckled obnoxiously.

_I'm in a Guild now? _ I thought frantically. _This can't be good. _Natsu handed me the crutches but I shook my head.

"No," I whispered. He frowned.

"Mariah, you need your crutches. C'mon." He lifted me up and spread my arms out so they were wide open. I blushed while he continued to hold me. When Lucy finally put the crutches underneath me, Natsu set me down on top of them. "There you go."

"Master Makarov told me to bring her straight to him before anyone meets her," Lucy chirped, smiling wide.

"Alright, alright, fine," Natsu grumbled.

"Geez, what's your problem?"

"Nothing." Natsu then stormed out of the room.

"I don't understand him sometimes," Lucy muttered, leading me out of the room. The crutches were hard to operate. Lucy had to catch me several times. It was such an embarrassment.

When I took my first step into the Guild, I was quickly swept off my feet. My crutches fell into a heap on the floor.

"Hello, beautiful," a red-head with glasses smirked, speaking in my ear seductively. I blushed insanely. He pushed up his glasses before staring into my eyes. He gasped, his face turning a light shade of pink. I looked back at him, helplessly confused. Natsu quickly snatched me back and ran me into a dark room.

"W-What was that for?" My voice cracked as I tried to shout. I was still blushing from my encounter with the man.

"Sorry, but Master needs you." Natsu leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Hey, who was that guy out there? The one who picked me up."

"Who, Loke? Yeah, he's always a flirt but I've never seen him blush at someone before. We don't really consider him to be a "wizard"; he's more of a celestial spirit."

"Oh," I whispered, blushing at the thought of him, not even hearing what Natsu said.

"You sure do blush a lot," Natsu grumbled, his eyes still closed.

"I'm just shy," I retorted. Shortly after, I stifled a small sneeze, and then another. Natsu opened an eye.

"Are you sick?" My nose twitched.

"No, it's my allergies. I'm allergic to-!" I screamed, jumping into a wall and causing my ankle a great deal of pain. "Ahh! Cat!" I stifled another sneeze, staring at the blue creature.

"Hey!" it shouted.

"Do you have any medication?" Natsu asked, flinging the cat out the door. I shook my head as I sneezed again.

"It's all in my bag at the Agen—t's Department store?" A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. "I, um, like to dress up as an agent." I blushed and he shrugged.

_Yes, he believes what I tell him._

"Well, sorry about your allergies. I'll try to keep Happy away from you."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" the blue cat retorted, flying back in the room. Natsu then burst into flames, apparently angry.

"I-It's alright!" I shouted, my nose twitching. "I- I'll be-" I paused to sneeze, "fine." I put my finger under my nose to keep it from itching. I gave Natsu a small nod.

"Great," Natsu laughed, "I'll go find Makarov." He then grabbed Happy, shut the door, and left me alone in the dark. I swallowed hard.

_It's ok, Mariah. He'll be back soon. You won't be here for long. _I began to pick my lips nervously. I was afraid of the dark and anything in it.

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm myself down. It worked until I heard the door creak open.

"Stay away!" I screamed, a shock of electricity sparking from my body. I gasped, finding Natsu and the Guild Master completely dazed. The spark had caused the smoke alarm to go off and water was sprinkling onto my head. The Guild didn't seem too worried.

"Mariah," Natsu groaned, water dripping off of his bangs. I tried to hide when the Guild Master stood. He clapped respectively.

"Well done," the Guild Master spoke. My mouth hung open.

"For what, electrocuting us half to death?" Natsu shouted, finishing my sentence for me.

"Precisely."

"She almost killed us, how is this ok?" The Guild Master rolled his eyes, ignoring Natsu.

"Miss Mariah, I see you indeed are a wizard. I welcome you to our Guild." The Master nodded respectively and walked me out of the dark room. I groaned, limping after the Master. Natsu grabbed my shoulder, showing me my crutches.

"I don't need them." I shook my head and continued to limp.

When I entered the Guild Hall, I found the whole guild in a large tussle on the floor. I gasped, watching the strange act of violence.

"Master Makarov, are you sure I am fit to be in this Guild? It's so rowdy, and I can assure you, I am very shy-"

"Oh, don't be so silly, Miss Mariah. Go!" The Master chuckled and shoved me in the middle of the action. I screamed, tripping over someone's body. I fell into a man's arms as he laughed hysterically. He was in only his underwear. Natsu joined in his laughing, running into the mess.

"Gray, come fight me like a man!" Instantly, the man holding me flung me into one of the support pillars, charging at Natsu.

_His name must be Gray, _I thought, rubbing the back of my neck. I flinched as I felt someone gently tap my shoulder. I found a beautiful girl in a red dress smiling down on me.

"Hello, you must be Mariah. The Master has talked about you a lot. My name is Mirajane and I'll be helping you out for the next few days." She smiled wider, helping me up.

"Does the Guild always do this?" I asked, looking around and frantically hiding behind the post as a beer bottle was tossed at my head.

"It's somewhat common, but don't worry about not fitting in, you'll be jumping in eventually." Mirajane smiled and gently led me over to a board over in the corner. "Let me give you a small tour of the Guild. As you know, we're in the Guild Hall right now. This, right here, is the Request Board. You can pick up a request if you need to pay rent or just want some spare cash." I nodded, looking at some of the requests. There was an extensive variety.

"I guess I'll have to try to pick one up tomorrow."

"I would suggest picking up one now, but it's getting late and you don't have a team to work with."

"A team?" I asked, ducking as another bottle was thrown at my head. I saw a few more members jump into a dog pile. I laughed along with Mirajane.

"Some wizards join together and make a small team. They normally work on missions together and hang around each other in the Guild."

"Are the teams like… boyfriends and girlfriends?" I blushed and pressed my sleeve to my lips shyly. Mirajane smiled gently.

"Sometimes, but it's normally best friends or people who simply work well together." I nodded, yawning. Mirajane frowned. "Are you tired, Mariah?"

"Only a bit."

"You own a place, right?" I rubbed the back of my neck again, giving a half-hearted laugh.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," I whispered. Mirajane gasped.

"Really? You don't own your own house or an apartment?"

"No, I don't. I normally sleep in the street or an abandoned shack or building. Do you have a cellar or empty space I could sleep in? That would suffice."

"We have a basement, but you deserve to sleep somewhere else, somewhere better."

"No, it's alright Miss Mirajane. I'm used to sleeping on the floor." Mirajane reluctantly lead me down to the basement. Luckily, it was empty.

"I'll get everyone out of the Guild for the night to give you a nice place to sleep." Mirajane grabbed me a blanket and gave me another smile. I heard footsteps and I turned my head. Loke was walking towards us. He didn't see me hiding behind one of the pillars. I whimpered shyly.

"Wow, Loke, no girls with you tonight?" Mirajane giggled, but Loke didn't find it funny.

"Mirajane, have you seen one of Cana's kegs? She says she's missing one." Loke sighed, pushing up his glasses.

"Really? Cana can't go without one keg?"

"I don't know, Cana just told me to ask you." Loke groaned. I stuck my head out from the pillar, blushing at the sight of him. He caught me out of the corner of his eye and gave me a soft smile.

"You're the new girl, right? I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Loke." He gently took my hand, kissing it respectively. I blushed darker.

"I-It is a pleasure to meet you, Loke. My name is Mariah. I-If you didn't already know." I smiled, looking into his eyes. He grabbed the blanket from me and dropped it on the floor.

"Are you cold, Miss Mariah?" he asked, pulling me close. I gasped and shivered, self-consciously trying to pull away. He gently pulled me back.

"Actually, she was going to sleep down here. She doesn't have a house or an apartment," Mirajane interrupted. Loke took my hand, slowly leading me back up the steps. I wasn't sure whether I should follow him or not.

"I'll take her to my place, then," Loke whispered, slowly trying to coax me through the door. My hand trembled as I followed him, slightly intrigued.

_Do I really want to go with him?_

"Loke, you barely know this girl-"

"Relax, I'll just let her sleep in the guest room, I won't pull anything on her." Loke let me walk in front of him, leading me into the Guild Hall.

"Alright, then," Mirajane whispered, cleaning up the bar. The rest of the Guild members had left for the night and the Hall was completely barren. I turned to face him.

"Y-You don't have to do this if you don't want to," I whispered, pressing my sleeve to my lips again. He grabbed my hand and walked me to the door.

"It's alright, really. It's what guild mates do for each other." Although I was already in my sweater, I grabbed my scarf to wrap it around my neck. He quickly took it from me and wrapped it around my neck himself. I blushed, feeling a new warmth as his fingertips brushed my neck. He grabbed an umbrella and tried his hardest to open it. It was obviously broken.

"So, what is your magic, Loke?" I asked, looking for a new umbrella.

"I use light magic."

"Hmm," I nodded, handing him a packaged umbrella. I looked at his hand. On one of his fingers I found a ring.

"Damn, all of these umbrellas are broken," Loke muttered, dropping the one I had given him and letting the broken umbrella tumble out. He began to look for another one.

"So, do you have someone special?" I asked, pressing my sleeve to my lips another time. I tried to hide behind my scarf as he tensed up.

"What?" he spat.

"N-Nothing!" I shrieked, falling off of the box I had been sitting on. I fell into a clumsy heap on the floor.

"No, I'm just curious," he whispered, helping me back up.

"I was just wondering if you had someone special. Because of your ring." I whimpered and almost fell off the box once more. I nervously pointed at the ring.

"No, I don't. My magic comes from my ring and that's why I wear it." He sighed sadly before grabbing one more umbrella. I kept quiet.

_He seems upset about being single; do you think he's trying to aim for me? Of course he isn't, Mariah, get a hold of yourself._

"Ok, Mariah, this one works. Let's get you to my place." Loke patted my back and opened the door. The harsh wind slapped me in the face and I shrieked, hiding behind Loke. He grabbed my hand and walked out into the storm.

I yelped as a large gust of wind almost knocked me off my feet. I held tightly onto Loke's shirt. The umbrella easily broke in the wind and left Loke and me defenseless in the rain. Although I wasn't too happy about being wet, I giggled hysterically, chasing Loke down the road. He had already bolted away.

"Come on, Mariah, we're almost there," Loke shouted, sprinting past me. I panted and continued to chase after him as my limp bothered me. I felt lightheaded fairly quickly. I hadn't had anything to eat for days and I was still weak from all of the testing at the Government Agency. Loke had stopped and waited for me.

"I-I am so sorry," I panted, collapsing onto my knees. I grimaced in pain as I felt a sharp rock dig into my knee. I was only wearing shorts and my knees were already scarred from past fights.

"Hey, you're doing fine, Mariah," Loke whispered, helping me up. "We're here." Loke opened the front door, throwing the broken umbrella on the floor. When I took my first step into the house I instantly felt at home.

"Wow, your place is amazing," I gasped, admiring every corner of the room.

"Thank you. You don't have an extra set of clothes, do you?"

"No," I sighed. "I came with nothing." Loke came over and put a towel over his couch, signifying that I should sit. I did, using another towel to wring out my hair and dry off my clothes. He took my scarf and sweater to dry. I was left in only shorts and a tank top. He grabbed a towel for himself and sat beside me.

"So, why did you come to the Guild anyway?" Loke asked, helping me dry the rest of my hair.

"I don't know, I didn't mean to come to Fairy Tail. I was running and ended up in the Guild Hall."

"You really gave us quite a scare with you being on fire like that. I've never seen anyone do that without being burned."

"I don't even know how it happened. I just remembered being in a field of trees. They all were on fire and I wasn't sure where to run. I must have caught fire right before I ran in."

"It could have been one of those omens you're always reading in the paper." Loke laughed and shook his head, throwing the towels on the floor. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around me. I smiled.

"Thank you," I whispered. He nodded.

"Mariah, if you don't mind me asking, but where did you come from? You have no home, no clothes, and you look like you were given a beating not that long ago." Loke moved closer to me on the couch, staring at my lips. I gasped, suddenly nervous. His lips were so close to mine.

"I was-" Before I could finish my sentence, I had to stifle a sneeze. My nose twitched and I shook my head. "Loke, do you, um, have a cat?" I asked, stifling another sneeze. I blushed, completely embarrassed. Loke's eyes widened.

"Um, no, I don't," he whispered. He stood quickly. "Maybe you're just sick. Let me show you to your room." He hastily turned the corner.

_I can't be sick, _I thought to myself. _But, it is completely possible. I haven't had any food for days and I just ran around in the rain. I'll feel better by tomorrow._

I stood slowly and put the towel on the floor with the others. Loke quickly gave me a tour of the house, showing me where the bathroom, kitchen, and my room were located.

"What's mine is yours." He smiled and nodded. He pointed to another room on the other end of the house. "That's my room if you need me. Goodnight, Mariah."

"Alright, thank you for everything. I will see you tomorrow morning, Loke." I smiled back. When he was about to close the door to his room, he quickly stuck his head out the door frame.

"Oh, by the way, your sneezes are absolutely adorable," Loke chuckled, giving me a soft smile. I felt my face grow hot and quickly went into the bathroom, combing my hair with my fingers. I sighed, listening to Loke's door close.

_Mirajane looked nervous when she heard I would be staying with Loke. He doesn't seem that bad. But she mentioned something about "his girls". Wait, he even told me himself that he was single, though._

I sat on the bathroom counter and sighed heavily.

_Loke is just a friend who is letting you use his house for a few days. Nothing more, nothing less._ I stared at myself in the mirror for awhile. I then hopped down and stared at my body. I still looked fairly large. The reason why I had avoided eating food for a few days was so I could lose weight. The Agency had tried to keep me nice and plump but I wouldn't allow them to do that. I sighed once more.

_Tomorrow I'll just skip breakfast and hope he doesn't notice my weight. Just a few more pounds, Mariah, and then we'll go back to a normal diet. _I put my hair up in a sloppy bun and slipped into my bedroom. I slipped into the covers and stared out the window.

The rain was falling even harder and faster since Loke and I had made our way to his house. I was lucky that I had a place to sleep for the night. If I didn't have Loke or couldn't sleep in the Guild basement, I would be on the streets, trying to sleep. There would be no way to explain to the Guild why I was drenched from head to toe.

My eyes had no trouble closing and I felt my body slowly relax.

_Tomorrow I'll go meet the rest of the Guild. Maybe they'll provide me protection from the Agency. That is the only reason why I'm here, don't get distracted, Mariah. I'm only here for protection. _I groaned and rolled over. _But it would be nice to start over with a clean slate, start my life over again and make new friends. What the hell am I supposed to do? Fairy Tail is full of so many wonderful people, I can't just leave them. Especially Loke. Although we've just met, I already feel so close to him._

I closed my eyes once more and let my body drift off to sleep.

_Ok, for now, I won't plan for anything. I'll see how I like my life as a member of Fairy Tail. If nothing pops up, then I'll continue to live here. If anything else happens, I will figure it out as I go. _And then I let myself finally fall asleep.


End file.
